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Police sergeant charged with official misconduct

Saugerties Police Sergeant John Scheffel has been charged with official misconduct, according to Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright.

Carnright said his office has concluded an investigation into discrepancies in tracking police evidence. He said that audit of the evidence vault revealed four packs of cigarettes that had been logged in conjunction with a larceny case, were missing from the vault and a report involving the cigarettes had been falsified.“We have concluded that Sergeant Scheffel misappropriated these cigarettes,” said Carnright.

Scheffel will be arraigned by village Justice Robert Rightmyer this week in Village Court. Carnright explained that criminal charges are jurisdictional, and since the town police station, where the crime took place, is located in the village of Saugerties, the case will be handled in Village Court.

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Town Police Chief Louis Barbaria said that Scheffel is currently on administrative leave, and that he has not received pay for approximately a month. Scheffel has applied for retirement through New York State.

It is unclear if his retirement has been approved. Barbaria said the town would not receive immediate notice of an approved retirement.Scheffel did not return calls placed to his home

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